Commands-
Part 1-
We give commands when we tell or ask people to do things. In French, they are verb forms without subject pronouns. In most instances, commands take the same form as the second person singular and the first and second person plural forms of the verb without the subject pronoun. This is definitely the case for I R and R E verbs. For infinitives ending in E R, this is true for the first and second person plural forms. For second person singular command forms using E R verbs, simply drop the s from the verb form unless the command is immediately followed by the pronouns y or en, and omit the subject pronoun. Commands are frequently called imperatives.
Here are the some examples of French commands.
| E R Verbs- | Second Person Singular Commands- | Second Person Plural Commands- | First Person Plural Commands- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parler- | Parle!- | Parlez!- | Parlons!- |
| Etudier- | Etudie!- | Etudiez!- | Etudions!- |
| Travailler- | Travaille!- | Travaillez!- | Travaillons!- |
| Aller- | Va!- | Allez!- | Allons!- |
| Donner- | Donne!- | Donnez!- | Donnons!- |
| Danser- | Danse!- | Dansez!- | Dansons!- |
| I R Verbs- | Second Person Singular Commands- | Second Person Plural Commands- | First Person Plural Commands- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choisir- | Choisis!- | Choisissez!- | Choisissons!- |
| Réfléchir- | Réfléchis!- | Réfléchissez!- | Réfléchissons!- |
| Finir- | Finis!- | Finissez!- | Finissons!- |
| Réussir- | Réussis!- | Réussissez!- | Réussissons!- |
| Bâtir- | Bâtis!- | Bâtissez!- | Bâtissons!- |
| Obéir- | Obéis!- | Obéissez!- | Obéissons!- |
| R E Verbs- | Second Person Singular Commands- | Second Person Plural Commands- | First Person Plural Commands- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attendre- | Attends!- | Attendez!- | Attendons!- |
| Descendre- | Descends!- | Descendez!- | Descendons!- |
| Mettre- | Mets!- | Mettez!- | Mettons!- |
| Prendre- | Prends!- | Prenez!- | Prenons!- |
| Rendre- | Rends!- | Rendez!- | Rendons!- |
| Répondre- | Réponds!- | Répondez!- | Répondons!- |
To make a command negative, put ne before the command and pas right after it. Some examples include: Ne parle pas anglais en classe! (Don't speak English in class!), Ne sors pas la veille d'un examen final! (Don't go out the night before a final exam!), and Ne mange pas trop si tu ne veux pas grossir! (Don't eat too much if you don't want to put on weight!).